Thomas Kimmwood Peters
Encyclopedia
Thomas Kimmwood Peters was a pioneer American
motion picture producer, newsreel
cameraman, photographer, educator, and inventor.
and Luxor
in Egypt.
Peters was associated with the Cosmos Film Company in San Francisco, California
, which later became Exactus Photo Film Corporation of Palo Alto
. He became its first president and general manager when it officially started operations on August 28, 1914. The company stated that its purpose was
In the beginning, Exactus had a list of well-respected California educators to serve on its board of directors. However, a lack of good business management and closing skills in obtaining financial backing caused its failure only two years later. There were also clashes of misunderstandings between the educators and Exactus' technicians that exacerbated the situation. By the end of 1916, Peters held an auction of the physical items held by the bankrupt company to raise money to pay off its creditors. What little stock left was turned over to the Palo Alto Film Company.
Peters kept the technical and educational value of the Exactus films at a high quality in spite of these tumultuous times. At the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915, his company won two gold medals and one bronze medal for films they had produced.
Thornwell Jacobs
, originator of the Crypt of Civilization
(the world's first modern time capsule
located at Oglethorpe University
), hired Peters to serve as the project archivist
and general manager of development and construction.
One of the reasons Peters was hired was for his unique skills in photography. He used his knowledge to preserve on microfilm and film footage items to be entered in the Crypt for a 6,000-year storage. Peters recorded on film such historical figures as Adolf Hitler
and Joseph Stalin
. He also included President Franklin D. Roosevelt
and Benito Mussolini
.
Peters and his staff of student assistants worked on the Crypt project from 1937 until 1940 when it was sealed permanently. They put on cellulose acetate microfilm many historical events of the 19th and 20th centuries. The microfilm reels were placed into airtight receptacles for preservation. The staff and Peters initiated backup methods in case the acetate didn't survive. One method Peters developed was duplicate "metal film." It was as thin as paper.
Peters also worked on developing Oglethorpe University's historical photographic collections. Peters was also director of the China Air Force School at Oglethorpe University, 1945-46. He was also professor of audio-visual education at the university.
According to Oglethorpe University Peters had been the only newsreel photographer to film the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the associated fire. He was also the first to film the construction of the Panama Canal.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
motion picture producer, newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
cameraman, photographer, educator, and inventor.
Education
- Attended public elementary schools and high school in the Los Angeles area, 1884-94.
- Attended Peace College in Mexico City from 1896 to 1898.
- Earned Ph.D.Ph.D.A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at Oglethorpe UniversityOglethorpe UniversityOglethorpe University is a private liberal arts college in Brookhaven, Georgia, an inner suburb of Atlanta. It was chartered in 1835 and named after James Edward Oglethorpe, the state's founder.-History:...
, 1939.
Association with the motion picture industry
Peters began his photography work in the motion picture industry around 1899, with the Pathe Freres film company of France. Later, when he left them, he continued to work throughout Europe at various companies in the motion picture industry to develop his skills. He also did photography and motion picture work at KarnakKarnak
The Karnak Temple Complex—usually called Karnak—comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings, notably the Great Temple of Amun and a massive structure begun by Pharaoh Ramses II . Sacred Lake is part of the site as well. It is located near Luxor, some...
and Luxor
Luxor
Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 , with an area of approximately . As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple...
in Egypt.
Peters was associated with the Cosmos Film Company in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, which later became Exactus Photo Film Corporation of Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
. He became its first president and general manager when it officially started operations on August 28, 1914. The company stated that its purpose was
In the beginning, Exactus had a list of well-respected California educators to serve on its board of directors. However, a lack of good business management and closing skills in obtaining financial backing caused its failure only two years later. There were also clashes of misunderstandings between the educators and Exactus' technicians that exacerbated the situation. By the end of 1916, Peters held an auction of the physical items held by the bankrupt company to raise money to pay off its creditors. What little stock left was turned over to the Palo Alto Film Company.
Peters kept the technical and educational value of the Exactus films at a high quality in spite of these tumultuous times. At the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915, his company won two gold medals and one bronze medal for films they had produced.
Association with Oglethorpe University
Thornwell Jacobs
Thornwell Jacobs
-Early life:Jacobs was born in Clinton, South Carolina, February 15, 1877, at the Thornwell Orphanage. The orphanage was founded by his father, Reverend William Plumer Jacobs. His mother was Mary Jane Jacobs....
, originator of the Crypt of Civilization
Crypt of Civilization
The Crypt of Civilization is a sealed airtight chamber located at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia. The crypt consists of preserved artifacts scheduled to be opened in the year AD 8113...
(the world's first modern time capsule
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
located at Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University is a private liberal arts college in Brookhaven, Georgia, an inner suburb of Atlanta. It was chartered in 1835 and named after James Edward Oglethorpe, the state's founder.-History:...
), hired Peters to serve as the project archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
and general manager of development and construction.
One of the reasons Peters was hired was for his unique skills in photography. He used his knowledge to preserve on microfilm and film footage items to be entered in the Crypt for a 6,000-year storage. Peters recorded on film such historical figures as Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. He also included President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
and Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
.
Peters and his staff of student assistants worked on the Crypt project from 1937 until 1940 when it was sealed permanently. They put on cellulose acetate microfilm many historical events of the 19th and 20th centuries. The microfilm reels were placed into airtight receptacles for preservation. The staff and Peters initiated backup methods in case the acetate didn't survive. One method Peters developed was duplicate "metal film." It was as thin as paper.
Peters also worked on developing Oglethorpe University's historical photographic collections. Peters was also director of the China Air Force School at Oglethorpe University, 1945-46. He was also professor of audio-visual education at the university.
According to Oglethorpe University Peters had been the only newsreel photographer to film the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the associated fire. He was also the first to film the construction of the Panama Canal.
Outline of career
- Artist with International Botanical Expedition to Yucatán, 1898.
- Camerman with Pathe Freres, Vincennes, France, 1899.
- Toured Europe and Northe Africa making motion pictures with a KinetoscopeKinetoscopeThe Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device. Though not a movie projector—it was designed for films to be viewed individually through the window of a cabinet housing its components—the Kinetoscope introduced the basic approach that would become the standard for all cinematic...
, 1900. - Freelanced in Paris, 1902.
- Opened Peters Scenic Studio in Los Angeles, 1902.
- President of Peters Photographic Expeditions. Made 5 expeditions to Asian countries, Australia and the South Seas, 1904-05.
- Motion pictures of San Francisco earthquake aftermath, 1906.
- Motion pictures of construction of the Panama Canal, 1909.
- Technical director of several motion picture companies.
- Author and correlator of standard text films for classroom use at Palo Alto and F.B.O. Studio, Hollywood.
- Inaugurated first regulator teaching films in New York Schools, 1920.
- Professor of psychology training specialist and manufacturing research engineer at Lockheed Aircraft Company.
- Historian at the Los Angeles County Hollywood Museum Motion Picture TV.
- Owner of Photographic Museum, Frontier Village, San Jose, California.
Authored works
- Portals of the Past
- Sunoef Dixie (the script)
- Trap to Catch a Shadow
- History of Motion Picture Mechanisms (autobiography)
- Technique of Concertography: Prelude to the Atomic Era
Inventions
- Invented several models of the Exactus camera, 1912 - 1914.
- Invented the first microfilm camera using 35 mm film to photograph documents, 1915.
- Invented and patented many vacuum and rare gas devices, including first commercial rare gas tubes, 1924.